Luke 23:43
"And He said to him, 'Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.'"
2 Corinthians 12:3-4,7
"And I know how such a man - whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows - was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak...Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me - to keep me from exalting myself!"
Luke 16:23,27-31
"In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom...And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house - for I have five brothers - in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment. 'But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ But
he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they
will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’"
Ezekiel 13:8-9a
"Therefore, thus says the Lord God, 'Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,' declares the Lord God. 'So My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations.'"
Where am I going with these verses? Keep reading.
Heaven is for Real: the movie that is so popular among so-called Christian circles. Heaven really is real, as Christ said to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43, above). It is a subject that seems to catch people's attention quite regularly. Every time someone claims they've had a near-death experience, the world is captivated.We ought not to be so quick and eager to accept the testimony of a vision that someone claims to have had of Heaven. God calls us to test every prophecy (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Paul testifies of a vision or experience with Paradise (2 Corinthians 12:3-4,7, above). He says the things he experienced were things which a man is not permitted to speak. In addition, God gave him a thorn in his flesh to keep him from exalting himself because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. It seems to me that, if God would make the need clear for Paul to refrain from speaking of his experience, it would be quite inconsistent for God to allow a young child into Heaven and then back to earth without restraining his mouth. Further, it would be highly inconsistent of God, who didn't allow an Apostle to recount that experience, to allow this young child to recount his experience to the whole nation and potentially further. And, thirdly, it would be inconsistent for God to grant such a revelation to a child in this day and age - God no longer speaks through visions.
In Luke 16:23,27-31 (above), Jesus tells a parable of a rich man and a poor man (named Lazarus). As the rich man is suffering in Hades, he begs Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth from Heaven to warn his brothers of the suffering to come. Abraham responds simply by saying that they have Moses and the Prophets (Scripture). If they don't listen to the information they've already been given, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead. It would seem, then, based on Abraham's response, that it would be highly inconsistent for God to send a young child back from Heaven to declare his findings to the world.
Finally, in Ezekiel 13:8-9a (above), God pronounces strong judgment on those who have seen false visions and utter lying divinations. He says that, because His audience has spoken falsehood, seen a lie, and uttered lying divinations, His hand is against them. He says it twice. By saying it twice, He is placing emphasis on the fact that He is against them. That should be terrifying. But it is taken so lightly in stories such as these.
I have not seen the movie, in case you were wondering. I don't need to see it. I have no desire to see it. I know the story well enough. And Scripture's evidence against it is strong enough. In the end, the viewer of this movie/reader of this book ought to understand that there is no way this young child actually went to Heaven and came back. Anyone who is convinced of the truth of this boy's story is believing a lie, and willfully so. Yes, he may have seen things, but they were not visions of the true Paradise.
